New-look forward pack for Chiefs
Head coach Dave Rennie has made numerous changes to the team that narrowly lost 32-36 to the Lions last Saturday in Hamilton.
The revamped front row sees Mitchell Graham, Nathan Harris and Siate Tokolahi pack down for their first starts of the season. In the second row, Johan Bardoul partners with Michael Allardice. Bardoul replaces the injured Brodie Retallick who is sidelined for four-six weeks after sustaining broken ribs against the Lions last week. Taleni Seu, Sam Cane and Michael Leitch form the loose forward trio adding plenty of power and agility to the back of the scrum.
In the backs, Brad Weber gets his first start of the 2016 Super Rugby season at halfback. Co-captain Aaron Cruden retains the No.10 jersey, with Charlie Ngatai and Seta Tamanivalu continuing their dominant partnership in the midfield for the third successive week. Glen Fisiiahi impressed in his debut to earn his first start on the right wing, with James Lowe and Damian McKenzie rounding out the backline in jerseys No.11 and No.15 respectively.
The strong replacements bench packs a punch with Rhys Marshall, Pauliasi Manu and 2015 gold medal winning New Zealand Under-20 captain Atu Moli on hand as front row replacements. They are joined on the bench by fellow forwards James Tucker and Maama Vaipulu. Replacement halfback Tawera Kerr-Barlow offers plenty of experience, with Anton Lienert-Brown and Sam McNicol ready to add impact to the backline off the bench. Should Atu Moli and James Tucker take the field, they will be making their Super Rugby debuts while Sam McNicol is in line to earn his first cap for the Gallagher Chiefs.
Chiefs: 15 Damian McKenzie, 14 Glen Fisiiahi, 13 Seta Tamanivalu, 12 Charlie Ngatai, 11 James Lowe, 10 Aaron Cruden (co-captain), 9 Brad Weber, 8 Michael Leitch, 7 Sam Cane (co-captain), 6 Taleni Seu, 5 Johan Bardoul, 4 Michael Allardice, 3 Siate Tokolahi, 2 Nathan Harris, 1 Mitchell Graham.
Replacements: 16 Rhys Marshall, 17 Pauliasi Manu, 18 Atu Moli, 19 James Tucker, 20 Maama Vaipulu, 21 Tawera Kerr-Barlow, 22 Anton Lienert-Brown, 23 Sam McNicol.
Date: Saturday, March 12
Venue: Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium, Port Elizabeth
Kick-off: 15.00 (13.00 GMT; 02.00 Sunday, March 13 NZ time)
Referee: Jaco van Heerden (South Africa)
Assistant referees: Jaco Peyper (South Africa), Rodney Bonaparte (South Africa)
TMO: Johan Greeff (South Africa)